*** Pikes Peak Avalanche Fatality *** From: aites@PROBLEM_WITH_INEWS_GATEWAY_FILE (Jim Aites) Newsgroups: rec.skiing.backcountry Subject: Re: Pikes Peak Avalanche Date: 2 May 1995 12:09:53 GMT I've heard that some people (BC skiers or climbers) were caught in an avalanche on Pike's Peak in CO last Wednesday, and that there was a fairly complex and dramatic rescue. Anyone have any solid information on it? If this is news to all I could post a sketcy bulletin about it that came to me at work. All I heard is that one person was dead and the rescue crews were having a hard time reaching the survivors due to bad weather. Anyone else have anything? What would you like to know? The guy who was in most of the interviews was Dan Crosy... who's been living with my sister for the last 4 years. Need I say that I've already recieved first-hand information about it? Note: these were all expert alpine/telmark skiers on a little travelled section of the mountain. If there were such a thing as a triple black diamond these guys were doing it.They were handling things 'properly' as they started down the calarie (shale slope with steep side walls all covered in deep snow), including having a 'top man' (the one who is SUPPOSED to stay at the top until theothers are down just in case something strange...like an avalanche..happens). Unfortunately, it seems that half the bloody mountain broke loose, and even the 'top man' was carried 150 yards and one 50 foot drop, before being pushed off to the side. He's the one who was able to slog out for help. Two of the folks were carried over 500 YARDS down the slope. The guy who was killed was nearer the center of the calarie and was carried an extra 500 yards down the mountain. Fortunately, none were buried, but the guy who was carried the furthest... died within the first five hours on the mountain. (condolences to his family...5 children ) The rescue folks were air lifted to them within three hours after Nate (the first one out) got to the station. Unfortunately, it was already dark and the pickup of both rescuers and party had to wait until the following day. Yeah, everyone stayed the night on the mountain. Thank god for search-and-rescue and the aid they provided. One of the guys had a broken pelvis and certainly could not have slogged out on his own. Dan's quote about being in the calarie during the avalanche was most telling "It was like being rolled thru a tunnel with large blocks of snow as hard as concrete all around. The snow grabbing at your pack and your boots. I was just praying that it would stop before one of the 'big ones'knocked me out." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- signed- |Truth is where you find it, |Starship Artifact BBS Jim Aites |but it helps to keep your |A M I G A aites@lvld.hp.com | eyes open while looking.-JA | (303) 663-5466 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another avalanche fatality occurred yesterday; this time on Colorado's Pikes Peak and a dramatic rescue effort is unfolding as I write.Information on exactly what transpired is somewhat sketchy at this time; but, according to reports, four climbers or ski mountaineers were close to the summit of Pikes Peak on April 25 when a hard slab avalanche on an east facing slope struck them from above and buried at least three of them. Of the three buried, one died, one sustained a fractured femur, and one suffered minor injuries. Apparently, the person who was not buried recovered his companions and then left for help. He notified authorities who dispatched a helicopter and rescuers to the summit of Pikes Peak. The rescuers descended from the summit to the accident site where they found the two surviving victims. The rescuers did their best to stabilize the victims before night fall and planned to descend the next morning (April 26 to a site where they could be picked up by helicopter or snow machines. Unfortunately, six to ten inches of snow fell on Pikes Peak last night with high winds and temperatures around five degrees Farenheit. he latest word I have, is that both surviving victims are hypothermic and because of the poor weather and, I assume, increasing avalanche hazard, the rescuers were unable to descend with the victims to a point where they could be picked up. Since the conditions precluded descending, the basecamp rescuers are hoping that the weather will break enough for a Chinook helicopter to pluck the victims and rescuers from the side of the peak with a long line. The weather has not cooperated and the helicopter had not been able to fly as of12:00 pm today. I'll update this report as I hear more.Best of luck to the rescuers and victims, sounds as though conditions arehellish. Let's all hope that things go well, we certainly don't need anymore tragedies. Thanks to Steve Dietemeyer and Dale Atkins for information on this accident. -Doug Abromeit National Avalanche Center. Tue May 30 11:56:30 1995 Letter : 4717154 From: Ron Lee Address : rcl67@ix.netcom.com Subject : Hi from El Paso County SAR (Pikes Peak area) To: sarinfo@mindlink.bc.ca Read with interest the article on the avalance last month on Pikes Peak. That was one very stressful mission for us. Our people on to pwere pinned down in a white-out for about 5 hours inching their way tothe top in snowcats. Once there, visibility, wind and temperatures made it impossible to find the point to descend with an evac team. Onesnowcat threw a track near the top, but the other made it. We just recovered the disable snowcat this weekend (Memorial Day). Date sent: Fri, 2 Jun 1995 18:15:23 -0700 From: rcl67@ix.netcom.com (Ron Lee) Subject: Clarification on Pikes Peak Avalance rescue To: sarinfo@mindlink.bc.ca I would like to clarify something I said regarding the Avalanche on Pikes Peak and the rescue. A SAR team of 3 was airlifted to the summit of Pikes Peak by a Flight for Life helicopter around dusk. This team descended from the 14,110 ft summit to the victims. Included in this team was a female team doctor. They spent the night with the victims and were airlifted out by Army Chinook helicopter the next morning close to noon. The evac teams spent the night battling their way up the snowbound Pikes Peak Highway via snowcat. These were the folks who were caught in the blizzard and whiteout. They made it to the summit around midnight. Due to the extreme weather and danger they never made it down to the victims. By daylight the winds had died down and the skies cleared somewhat. Various cloud banks kept covering the scene where the victims were. The Chinook hovered for nearly an hour before a break in clouds allowed for airlift. Ron Lee rcl67@ix.netcom.com or preferably at work ron.lee@symbios.com -----------------------------------